The Rochester Prevention Research Center (RPRC) will develop a national center of excellence for health promotion and disease prevention research in persons who are deaf or hard of hearing (D/HOH). This Center would be the first of its kind nationally and internationally. Rochester, New York likely has the highest prevalenceof D/HOH people inthe U.S. and takes advantage of the many resources, institutions, and organizations servicing our D/HOH community.The mission of the RPRC is to promote health and prevent disease in the D/HOH population through community-participatory research. The mission includes identification and prioritization of the D/HOH community's health needs, development of effective and inclusive interventions, accessible communication and dissemination of the Center's findings, and evaluation of the Center to assure its contribution to the health of local, state, national and international D/HOH populations and to the National Prevention Research Center Program. To carry out this mission, the RPRC will achieve five specific aims. First, an infrastructure of personnel, facilities, and collaborators will be organized to develop and carry out evaluation strategies to assess RPRC performance. Second, partners and collaborators wil lbe organized and mobilized for participation in the planning and implementation of a meaningful research plan. Third, the five-year research plan will be carried out, firs tidentifing health needs and risk factors in the D/HOH population and developing strong research methodology. Interventions will be developed and testedfor effectivenessinthe D/HOH community.Fourth,usingthe PRC Information System, RPRC tools,interventions,and programs will be communicated and disseminated to local, national, and international audiences. Finally, training programs will be organized and implemented for practitioners, researchers ,and students at all levels to expand the research community studying D/HOH health. The RPRC will serve as a model for other Centers which target populations with disabilities.